400 sign petition for 2-story limit in San Clemente

June 8, 2012

Updated Aug. 21, 2013 1:17 p.m.

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The San Clemente Historical Society points to this architect's rendering of how a proposed three-story development would look next to "Historic City Hall," a landmark building on El Camino Real at the intersection of Avenida Del Mar in downtown San Clemente. PHOTO COURTESY OF MIKE COTTER

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A welcome sign greets visitors to San Clemente's Avenida Del Mar, a street with a variety of building styles and sizes. FRED SWEGLES, REGISTER FILE PHOTO

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Two buildings from the 1920s are San Clemente landmarks at the top of Avenida Del Mar, dating from the first years with founder Ole Hanson. FRED SWEGLES, REGISTER FILE PHOTO

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Hotel San Clemente, now apartments, is a downtown San Clemente landmark with three stories and a fourth-story element. FRED SWEGLES, REGISTER FILE PHOTO

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This view of San Clemente's Avenida Del Mar shows the building mix that some residents say is vital to the city's village character. FRED SWEGLES, REGISTER FILE PHOTO

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The intersection of Avenida Del Mar and Ola Vista in downtown San Clemente features diverse building heights and styles. FRED SWEGLES, REGISTER FILE PHOTO

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This is a rendering of a Ralphs Fresh Fare supermarket being built on South El Camino Real outside San Clemente's downtown district. Some residents were shocked when a 54-foot tower went up, saying they couldn't believe the city approved such a tall structure. The height was shown on drawings when the city held public hearings. ILLUSTRATION COURTESY OF CITY OF SAN CLEMENTE., REPORTING BY FRED SWEGLES

The San Clemente Historical Society points to this architect's rendering of how a proposed three-story development would look next to "Historic City Hall," a landmark building on El Camino Real at the intersection of Avenida Del Mar in downtown San Clemente. PHOTO COURTESY OF MIKE COTTER

The San Clemente Historical Society is circulating an online petition as it tries to rally community support for a two-story limit on future construction in downtown San Clemente.

Developers are proposing to replace a one-story building at 115 N. El Camino Real with a three-story commercial/residential project. Meanwhile, the city is rewriting its General Plan, which sets a blueprint for local land uses.

Historical Society spokesman Mike Cotter said Friday that the group has gathered more than 400 signatures so far, most of them online but others via a paper petition. See the online version here.

The petition was drafted in April after the city General Plan Advisory Committee decided on a split vote to recommend a two-story limit. The proposal was debated at a San Clemente Planning Commission meeting. Supporters said they want to maintain downtown's small-scale feel. Opponents said a two-story limit would take away property rights and devalue properties. Planning commissioners had mixed views and called for a community workshop.

Commissioner Nesa Anderson said Friday that she expects the workshop to take place sometime in July.

Cotter said the Historical Society has submitted a "white paper" to the General Plan committee pointing to surveys the city took just before launching the General Plan rewrite in 2009. The survey results, published in a document called "Vision San Clemente," indicated that 97 percent of residents wanted to preserve the city's "quality of life (including its 'small-town atmosphere')" and that 86 percent assigned "highest priority to preserving the unique village character of San Clemente," the Historical Society said. Cotter said that means preserving the existing downtown character – not one with bigger buildings.

"There's an overwhelming desire to keep a village character on a small scale," Cotter said. He said the General Plan is supposed to reflect residents' shared vision for the city.

Current codes call for one- and two-story development downtown but allow a third story if the city issues a conditional use permit. But there are so many restrictions, Anderson said, that few downtown landowners have proposed third-floor additions because they don't have space to meet requirements for parking, building setback and more.

Planning commissioners aren't proposing any change downtown, Anderson said. "The ability to add a third story has been there a long time," she said. "Actually, it's the Historical Society that is proposing a change in the code that would limit the existing property owners with what they could do with their buildings."

Cotter said that if the city builds a long-discussed downtown parking structure, the city could start letting landowners purchase parking credits in the structure "and we would go three stories quick, everywhere."

PETITIONERS' VIEWS

Some comments attached to online signatures on the Historical Society's petition:

Maureen E Redfield: "Having lived in San Clemente for almost 50 years, I would like to see it maintain its 'cozy' atmosphere. No buildings over two stories, please."

Gerald Koger: "What will it take to convince the planning committee and the City Council that we want a small-town feel? A Spanish village does not have three-story buildings."

Phyllis Parks: "We don't want to become Huntington Beach-ified!"

Eugene Gilbert: "Keep two stories as the default height limit. Taller buildings can be looked at on an individual basis."

Tom Barnes: "San Clemente Spanish Village by the Sea says it all. A three-story village is an oxymoron."

Peg and John Marshall: "We love San Clemente. Don't turn it into Newport!"

Alan Heffernan: "As a designer and contractor, I am hesitant to put limits on property owners, architects and developers. In this case, I must defer to my love of San Clemente and its small-scale hometown feel. Please limit the height of properties that have a zero lot line facing El Camino Real."

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